Safety control and ignition means for multiple gas burners



y 4, 1939- E. w. ROBERTS ET AL 87 SAFETY CONTROL AND IGNITION MEANS FUR MULTIPLE GAS BURNERS Filed-Feb 25, 1935- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS EARL W.ROBERTS THOMAS L.FERRALL ATTORNEYS y 1939- I E. w. ROBERTS ET AL ,164,887

sum: conraowmn mnrnou mans FOR uuLTi-rw GAS aunusns Filed Feb. 25, 1955 2 Sheets-$110101; 2

INVENTORS EARL W. ROBERTS THOMAS L.FERRALL Mmm NM KTTORNEY$ Patented J l 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE sars'rr-con'raor. AND IGNITION means FOB MULTIPLE GAS BURNERS Earl Wr Roberts and Thomas L. Ferrall, Detroit, Mich, assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Bryant Heater Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application February as, 1935, Serial No. 8,178

3 Claims.

mcally ignited upon the turning on of the gas supply thereto. It is a further object to provide for quickly restoring the device to normal oper ativeness when for any reason it has been temporarily rendered inoperative. With these and other objects in view/the invention consists in various features of construction as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings: Fig. l is a perspective viewshowing more or less diagrammatically the general arrangement of our improved safety control and ignition 'device; 7

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3' is a plan'view of the open top burners and the ignition means therefor;

Fig. 4 is an elevation showing the primary controlling means;

Fig. 5 is-a perspective view thereof viewed from the side opposite. that shown in Figs. -1

and 4;

Fig. 6 is a section through the valve forming a portion of the primary controlling means;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation through the secondary controlling means;

I Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8, Fig. 1, show ing the valve controlling the g'assupply to the oven burners and the ignition burner for said oven burners. a

In the present state of the art it is usual to provide gas burners with ignition devices having a constantly operating pilot gas jet. The quantity of gas supplied to this jet is so limited that in case it is accidentally extinguished, the

amount liberated will not be dangerous, either by way of causing an explosion or in poisoning the atmosphere. On the other hand, where there area number of gas burners necessitating a plu-- rearward and intermediatethe pairs of burners -B, B and W, B ,E is a self-closing valve in thereto. Still moreimportant, it is desirable to prevent the turning on of gas in quantity required for one or more burners, if for any reason the ignition means is not operative. I

In view of the conditions just described, our 5 improved construction is one in which there is a primary pilot intended for constant operation and which has an uninterrupted gas supply. This pilot when operating permits the flow of gas to a secondary pilot which when operating causes the opening of the main gas valve supplying all of. the burners. While there are thus two pilot jets normally in operation, the extinguishing of the primary jet will automatically cut oil the gas supply of the secondary jet so that at no time can there be an escape of gas from more than one of the jets. It is, however,

- desirable that the primary Jet should be constantly supplied with gas so that it can be instantaneously lighted if accidentally extinguished,

and also that the escaping small quantity of gas will give warning of the inoperativeness of the lighter. I a

The primary pilot not only controls the operation of the secondary pilot but also is utilized for igniting the lighter means for certain of the burners, such as the oven burners of a gas range. The supply of gas to this igniting means as well as the supply of gas tothe burners lighted thereby is controlled by a separate valve which may be operated whenever the main valve is open. The lighting devices for other 'of the burners, such as the open top burners of a gas range, are lighted from the secondary pilot. Thus this secondary 'pilot is preferably located in convenient prox- 35 imity to the top burners while the primary pilot is located in convenient proximity to the oven burners.

{In detail and as illustrated in the drawings, A is the open top portion of a gas range which as shown has four gas burners, B, B", B, B. These burners are supplied with gas from a common header or manifold C which in turn receives its gas supply from a conduit D, extending 46 the conduit D which as shown in Fig. 7 is biased towards closed position by a spring E- E is a stem for opening the valve, operated by a thermal motor of the following construction:

F is a pilot burner which is mounted on the conduit D but receives its gas' from a conduit F. This pilot is in the form of a Bunsen burner having a. gas regulating valve- F" controlling a a jet r directed into the mixing tube 1 which terminates in the nozzle F. Mounted 'on" a bracket F on the tube F is a thermally responsive member G shown as of U form and having one leg secured to said'bracket and with the return bend of the U located directly above the nozzle F. The opposite .leg of the U engages a lever G which is fulorumed at its lower end on the conduit D and at its upper end is connected by a rod G with a' bell crank lever G the opposite armof which engages the stem E2, of the vvalve E. The bell crank lever G is fulcrumed return bend in the member G will cause a spreadingsof the legs of the U, thereby actuating the lever G, bell crank lever (i and stem E to open the valve E against the tension of the spring E. The parts will remain in this position as long as the pilot F is in operation, but if it is extinguished, the cooling and contraction of the member G will permit the closing of the valve E by the spring E.

The pilot F in addition to its function in cooperation with the thermally responsive member G constitutes a lighter for the burners B, B5B.

B- To this end it is located at a central pointsubstantially equidistant from said burners, and is enclosed in a housing I! having radiating flame conveying arms H extending to the respective burners. As the speciflc construction of igniters "of this type is well known and forms no part of the present invention, it will not be described more in detail. As previously stated, the operation of the secondary pilot is dependent upon the'operation of a primary pilot.. This primary pilot I is preferably located at a convenient point for cooperating with an igniter for the oven burner. As

shown, it is located adjacent to and outside a Side wall or the oven J. throughwhich the mixng tube J extends and leads to the oven burner J'. 'Ihe'pilot I consists of a 'Bunsen burner which is constantly supplied with gas through a conduit I extending to and connected with the casing of the valve E on the gas supply side thereof. Associated with the pilot I is a thermally responsive member K which is similar in construction to the member G, the flame of the pilot impinging against the return bend of the U. r The free end of the member K'actuates a plunger K' which opens a valve L'in a casing L. This casing is located between and connected to portions of the conduit 1' but forms a constantly open gas passage unaflected bythe operation of the valve L. .This valve, however,

when moved away from its seat, will open connection between-'thegas passage and the conduit F which supplies gas to the secondary pilot F. Thus whenever thereis flame in the primary Pilot the expansion of the thermally responsive member K operating through the plunger K will open the valve Lpermitting gas to flow through the conduit F to the secondary pilot F. .The detailed construction of the casing L as shown in Flg. 6 is in the form of a cross, one arm or which forms a guide for the plunger K and stem of the valve L, the opposite arm forming the connection with one portion of the conduit I and having a gas chamber L there communicating through a port I. with the lower arm connecting to the other portion of the conduit I. The valve L is in this chamber, being biased towards its seat by a spring L and when displaced from its seat, opening communication with the upper arm of the cross which is connected to the conduit 11''.

With the construction as thus far described, it will be understood that the pilot I being in uninterrupted-communication with the gas supply, is designed to be constantly burning, and when burning, operating through the thermally responsive member K will maintain the valve L open so as to supply gasthrough the conduit F of the secondary pilot F. Thus normally both of these pilots will be lighted and the thermally responsive member G will. hold th. valve E in open position for supplying gas to all of the burners. If the pilot F'is extinguished, the valve E will be automatically closed. If the pilot I is extinguished, this will cut oil gas to the pilot F and bring about the same result as closing the valve E.

The second function of the pilot I is to operate the igniter for the oven burners. These burners J receive gas from the manifold C through a valve M which also supplies gas to the oven bumer igniting means, the construction being as fol-i lows:

The valve M is shown in the form of a plug valve having a port M therein for controlling a jet nozzle N so positioned in relation to the.

pilot I that when gas is supplied thereto it will transfer the flame from said pilot to the burner N which is also supplied with gas. As shown in Fig. -5, the casing N is iormed integral with a bracket N which forms the fixed support for the thermally responsive member K and also a support tor the casing L. The latter is externally threaded as indicated at L passing through an arm of the bracket and adjustably secured in position by nuts L. Thus by means of this adjustment the member K may be prop erly set in relation to the plunger K for the control of the valve L.

The gas for the oven burners J passes from the valve M through a conduit 0 to a thermostatic control device P and then through a conduit Q to the nozzles Q for the mixing tubes J. The thermostatic control means P forms no part of the present invention and need not be described.

To light the oven' burners, the valve M is first opened to a slight extent which connects the port M with the conduit N, supplying gas to the igniter burner N. The valve is then opened further to connect the port W with the conduit 0 through which gas is supplied to the jet nozzles Q of the oven burners. Thus by the time that the gas reaches the oven burner, the igniter burner will be in operation, so as to produce instantaneous ignition of the oven burners.

What we claim as our invention is:

i. In a gas cooking range, the combination with a gasmanifold, a gas supply conduit therefor, a plurality of open top burners, and valve controlled means for conducting gas from the manifold to said burners, of a shut-off valvein said supply conduit biased to automatically close,

a thermal motor operatively' associated with said arenas? 3 shut-ofl valve to open the same, a pilot burner located to operate said thermal motor and to maintain'said shut-oi! valve in open position whenever said pilot burner is burning,- flame propagating means extending from the respective open top burners to said pilot burner, an oven 4 burnerja, pilot burner associated with said oven burner, valve controlled means for conducting gas from said manifold to said oven burner, flame propagating-means between the last mentioned pilot burnerand oven burner. a gas supply connection to said second mentioned pilot burner from said gas supply conduit on the'supply side of said shut-off valve, a conduit from the last mentioned gas supply connection to said, first mentioned pilot burner, .a valve insaid last men: tioned conduit, ands: thermal motor operatively associated with said last mentioned valve and said second mentioned pilot burner to open andmaintain open said last mentioned valve when said last mentioned pilot burner is burning and to close said valve when said pilot burner is extinguished. I 2. In a gas range, the combination with a gas manifold, a gas supply conduit therei'or, a plu- -rality of open top bm'ners, and. valve controlled means for conducting gas from themaniiold to the open top burners, of a shut-oi! valve in said gas supply conduit biagd to automatically close, a thermal motor operatively associated with said valve to open the same, a pilot located to operate said thermal motor, flame propagating means beburner, said valve being adapted to supply gas to the flame propagating burner in advance of supply to said oven burner, a constantly openg'as supp y nduit to said second pilot, a gas supply conduit therefrom to said flrst mentioned pilot, a valve in the latter conduit, and a thermal motor operatively associated with 'said second mentioned pilot and said last mentioned valve to maintain the latter open when said pilot is burning and toclose the same when the pilot is extinguished.

3. In combination, a main gas burner, a gassupply conduit therefor, a valve for controlling the supply of gas from said conduit to. said burner.

a shut-on valve in said. supply conduit biased to automatically close, a thermal motor operatively associated with said. shut-oil. valve to open the same. a pilot burnerlocated to operate the thermal motor and to maintain the shut-ofl valve in open position whenever the pilot is burning, flame propagating means extending from the main burner to the pilot and adapted to ignite said burner on the opening 0! its control valve. an oven burner, a pilot associated with said oven burner, a valve controlled gas connection to said ov'en burner controlled by the shut-oi! valve aforesaid, flame propagating means between the last mentioned pilot and oven burner, a gas supply connection to the last mentioned pilot from said gas supply conduit on the supply side'goi' said shut-on valve, a conduit irom said last mentioned gas supply connection to the first menduit', and a thermal motor operatively associated with said last mentioned valve and the last mentioned pilot to open and maintain open said last mentioned valve when said last mentioned. pilot is burning and to close said last mentioned valve when the last mentioned pilot is extinguished.

'I'HOMAB L.

tioned pilot, a valve in said last mentioned coni 

